When video games are developed today, the selection of languages supported is hard-coded into the game code. Subsequently, if the game developer wishes to release a new localization of an existing game, it must re-work the code to add support for the new language. This increases costs and diminishes the likelihood that video games will support new languages.
Language pack technologies have been deployed on the WINDOWS® platform through its Multilingual User Interface (MUI) support, available for example in NET® and VISTA®. However, these technologies have not been effectively adapted for use in the video game field. To take advantage of existing MUI technology, game developers must use either the managed code resources of the NET® framework, or MUI-specific Win-32 resources, presently compatible with VISTA® only. There is no MUI-type technology built into game consoles, such as the XBOX 360® platform, console operating systems, or games themselves, that handles retrieval of language appropriate resources in a fast, memory efficient way with minimum development time overhead.
In view of these and other shortcomings in the art, systems, methods, and computer readable media are needed for videogame localization using language packs.